Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its holdings in shares of Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE:WMS) by 68.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 18,090 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 39,510 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Advanced Drainage Systems were worth $2,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMS. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Drainage Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Drainage Systems by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 89.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Advanced Drainage Systems Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMS opened at $162.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.63 billion, a PE ratio of 25.87, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $164.59 and a 200 day moving average of $140.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.03. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $80.98 and a one year high of $176.31.

Advanced Drainage Systems (NYSE:WMS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The construction company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $662.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $632.69 million. Advanced Drainage Systems had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 49.79%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. will post 6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Drainage Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Advanced Drainage Systems’s payout ratio is 8.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMS has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from $138.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Advanced Drainage Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $159.13.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Drainage Systems

In other news, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,199,344. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Ross M. Jones sold 762,895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $124,351,885.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,532,087. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael G. Huebert sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.52, for a total transaction of $1,635,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,199,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.79% of the company’s stock.

About Advanced Drainage Systems

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets thermoplastic corrugated pipes and related water management products, and drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplaces in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. The company operates through Pipe, International, Infiltrator, and Allied Products & Other segments.